EHR Revolution

How exciting! There is a revolution in each one of the hospital’s information systems. All hospitals are racing to get fully integrated with electronic information systems so that medical care will improve; at least that is what they say.

 

The electronic medical record is a fascinating concept, a futurist error free (almost) machine that will help us minimize redundancy in the medical record and update information as it comes. We will be able to look up diagnostic tests as we search for the patient, write orders as we are thinking about them so that all the ancillary support is notified in a live manner and the execution of patient treatment is faster and more efficient. The documentation is going to be clearer and to the point. The pharmacy, the therapist, the consultant, the social workers, the nurses and even the administration will have a better understanding of what is happening with each patient. I have not mentioned what role the patient is going to have in this matter. As such, all of this is done to look out for the patients.

 

So physicians in North America, EHR’s are here to be part of our integration for better medicine. Regardless of how long you have been practicing, get familiar with the EHR at your institution. The more you practice, the easier it will become. As you prepare yourself, write out your 5 most common diagnoses and then write out your most common plan of action that you do with these diagnoses. Next, ask your EHR expert to guide you in how to install it in your favorites and then practice with test patients, whom we named in our office “zzz” patients as they are our test patients. Then, work up a case of those most common diagnoses you pre-prepared and write your notes and your plan of action. When you are done with the note, don’t forget to log out. Privacy is crucial to the success of this program and don’t let anyone use your ID, you do not want to regret having someone help writing your notes. Indeed it is going to take a long time at the beginning, but eventually you will be able to move thru the EHR rather rapidly. Always develop habits to check your notes, your outstanding lab reports, radiology and consults pending on a daily basis, so that they do not accumulate. Remember like any new toy it takes many hours (I do not know how many) to master.

 

So sit up and get ready to be electronic savvy! In no time, you will be carrying a tablet PC or MAC to all your patients’ visits everywhere and anywhere. So unless your battery dies, you are connected to the EHR at all times. Please, on a side note, remember to disconnect and care for your loved ones and yourself too!

 

Have a great 2012!